Even after one month of the demolition of the five apartment towers in Maradu, the majority of the residents in the neighbourhood, who had vacated before the final demolition, are yet to return to their homes. After a prolonged delay in turning the official promises of repair into action, Vijay Steels and Explosives started repairing the damage on the nearby houses of the Alfa Serene towers only on Monday.
Although the district administration had promised immediate rectification of structural damage and cleaning after demolition, the residents complain very little action has been taken so far.
“We are living in a limited facility in Tripunithura for the past one month. Though they told us that rectification will be executed without much delay, it started only now. That too in a few homes. Even the structural audit commenced after a long delay,” said Abhilash N G, a nearby resident of Alfa Serene whose house had suffered several cracks and other damage during the demolition.
Residents who returned to their homes point out the inordinate delay in completing the work. “Though they have built a retaining wall under my wrecked staircase, the contractor is still bargaining about the expense of repairing the roof. Earlier, they promised a complete change of aluminium sheets in the beginning. Now, they are willing to execute only partial repair,” said Harishchandrasai K R, another resident. Structural audit helmed by technical committee member Anil Joseph started in the area at Sugunandan N G’s home.
“We found several cracks in the nearby homes. LSGD engineers will also inspect the area and estimate the repair cost. If the works come under B5 lakh, those will be executed by contractors or else the insurance company will take up the responsibility. First phase report of our audit will be submitted to LSGD officials on Tuesday,” said Joseph.